Endoscopes are well-known in the medical arts and are commonly used for numerous medical procedures. Many such procedures require an endoscopic tool which is placed within an instrument channel in an endoscope. One type of endoscopic tool is a device with two rotatable jaws. One type of procedure using a device with two rotatable jaws is removing sutures from the inside of a human subject, such as from the wall or the gastrointestinal tract. One conventional technique for removing sutures is using a cutting tool in an endoscopic procedure. Another procedure is removing foreign objects from inside the body by the use of a grasping tool.
Known grasping devices in the art have one or two jaws which pivot relative to a base. The jaw may be pivoted by a user operating a handle at a proximal end of the device and at a proximal location outside of the endoscope. Serious complications may arise during grasping removal procedures when the jaws of the grasper become stuck, either in an over-closed position or in an over-opened position. Further, the grasper may not firmly secure the object when first making contact with it, and consequently the object may not be secured with the jaws long enough to be removed from the patient.